There's a reason why this journal is entitled "Queer Thinker"...other than the obvious. If you want to read the thoughts of a black, gay law student who seems to think differently, i.e. "queer," than others, this one's for you!

Monday, August 27, 2007

Animal Rights Activists Are Racist?

I don't know who Michael Vick is, and I don't care. I mean--I do know. He's some black athlete. But I didn't even know that until all this dogfighting crap happened, though.

First, let me say--what a stupid thing to end up in serious trouble over. I'd rather be caught downloading and selling pirated music/movies, and threatened with prison time over that, than something like dogfighting and killing dogs. Music and movies are understandable pleasures in life. Dogfighting and dog-killing...???? While I don't necessarily think anything related to animals should be punishable crimes...I just don't know why you would even do anything harmful to animals in the first place. That's not out of a sense of compassion, either. Personally, I don't understand why anyone pays any attention to animals either way in the first place.

I don't care at all about animals. That's just me. Some of us are passionate about the environment. Some of us are passionate about social issues. There are those people who seem to think animals are equivalent to human beings, treat them as such and fight for them as if they are such. We all have our differences, our issues that matter to us that don't matter to other people.

What I can't understand is why it's okay to value animals the same as or above humans, to the point where you can do as much--or more--time for crimes against them as/than some crimes against people. Honestly, I think there are only some humans animals are valued the same as or above. If Michael Vick were white, let's say, I don't know how this situation would be playing out. But I do know that since he's black, he's going down...because, apparently, white people care more about animals and animal rights than they do about blacks and civil rights.

See, it is (merely) my theory that the majority of black people are with me in their view of animals, at least to some degree. Many blacks have--and love their--pets, don't get me wrong. I would never have one, and that's a difference among blacks. I think animals, particularly dogs, are scary and can be dangerous. I do think a lot of us think Vick is in serious trouble over something he shouldn't have done in the first place and should not exactly be in serious trouble for, considering that there is supposed to be some kind of hierarchy in which humans come before animals. I also think that, unlike many white people, we can have pets and still not be all that into animal rights. After all, being black, we kind of have problems that rank higher, to us.

You know what I've noticed about white people, which is one reason why many minorities tend to think that whites just don't have any serious problems in life (as I wrote in one of my last posts)? They spend a lot of time fighting battles that seem relatively meaningless to others, or battles that don't relate to them or relate indirectly to them. It's like they have so much free time and privilege on their hands that they just pick something that is a "problem" in the world and dedicate themselves to making it all better. Seldom is it something like racial issues, such as Rachel Sullivan's interest over at Rachel's Tavern, though. Not to say Rachel doesn't have serious problems or that she just picked something to care about. But that's just how it seems sometimes with white people. For many white people, it'd be gay rights before race, even if they are heterosexual. Still, either are good causes that actually could serve to benefit your fellow man (or woman), not to mention the country, in general. And although I don't quite get it or care personally, I do see some value in arguing that we need to make changes in the way we live our lives in order to save our environment or give our time/money to help people living in poverty and other unbelievable conditions in other nations (of course, my preference would be to give of yourself to help people in your nation, but whatever...). Although it irritates me sometimes, I understand arguing for equality for women, the poor and immigrants or American-born individuals with immigrant parents--and it irritates me only because people tend to equivocate these conditions to being black or say they are worse than being black. Even on a good day, I can begrudgingly admit that I see some value in arguing for prisoner's rights, i.e. people who have been in jail who wish to obtain a job, want to vote and just generally want to become functioning citizens of society again, or people who are in prison experiencing terrible conditions or grave danger. And I do see value in animal rights. I do. I don't think killing animals is okay. I don't think beating animals is okay. I don't even know what to say about dogfighting--it just makes absolutely no sense. But what I really don't think is okay is caring more about what happens to animals than what happens to other people. And there are people out there who do care more about animals than people. Those people, my friends, tend to be white...you know...those people who have less problems than everybody else. And yet, it'd seem many of them don't really care what everybody else is going through. No, no--why fight for fair treatment of other people when you can fight for the fair treatment of dogs? Nevermind that there are more people in the US suffering than people who are not, in some way...from some kind of hatred and/or inequality. Nope--we're throwing the book at you over a damn dog, but when it comes to white supremacist killings let's take 20+ years to punish the bastards, when they have gotten to fully live life and are just about on their deathbeds. See, black people have to fight for themselves. We don't have a choice. White people "have" to fight for dogs. They do have a choice. No offense to white people who happen to be women, poor, gay or anything else that's not as privileged as being a straight rich white male, perhaps. But you still have a kind of privilege, a kind of easiness, in life that blacks never will have. A privilege and easiness that is more important and will take one farther in life than any other. What's next, white people--insects? To be sure, it will be anythingbut blacks. According to my mother, white people are having a field day writing racist nonsense in their blogs about Michael Vick, and for what? Maybe it's not so much that animal rights activists are racist as it is that white people are just racist. I mean, anytime a black person does the slightest thing, whites are all over it, making a big deal out of it. When Kobe Bryant was accused of raping a white female, there were racist comments all over the internet about Bryant and, especially, interracial relationships and sex. But let a white guy rape a white woman, or even a black woman, and see what happens. White people completely lost it when Janet Jackson had that little Superbowl accident, and they are damn-near doing the same thing with Beyonce's wardrobe mishap (claiming she did it as a publicity stunt, which...um, note to Whitey: Beyonce's career has never...been...better. She doesn't need a publicity stunt!) Yet, Britney flashes her oonie, and these other dumb white girls keep getting caught in sex tapes--sure, it's news. But Janet's career was just about finished after the Superbowl, whereas Paris Hilton's career was born from her sex tape. To me, nothing demonstrates that white Americans are still racist pieces of sh!t like the Michael Vick response and the handling of Hurricane Katrina. I'll leave you with another comment about something I noticed--and whoever said watching reality television was a waste of time:Out of all the crazy things I've seen on "Rock of Love With Bret Michaels," I will never forget the showdown between Cracey (i.e. Crazy) Lacey and Dallas. Not only because it was funny how Rodeo "manhandled" Cracey Lacey. But also because...Dallas kind of had a point when she noted to Cracey that Bret Michaels "wore animals," too. I mean, for those of you who don't watch the shows, here's what went down:Cracey Lacey is this white chick who is over-the-top about animals and animal rights. And, yet, she terrorizes just about every other chick on the show, with the exception of this stripper white girl named Heather with whom she is in ca-hoots to get other girls eliminated from the show. But there was no one she terrorized more than, for a while, the lone black chick in Bret's house, Dallas. True, Dallas was the only one who flat-out said that she eats and wears animals. To this day, CL hasn't hated any chick in the house more than Dallas. And, to be sure, it was obvious that at least half the other chicks in the house agreed with Dallas, at least about eating meat, and were on her side. Even Bret said at one point that he grew up eating meat and, I think, even hunting. But CL had no problems with Bret. She has problems with the other chicks, but not because of eating and wearing animals, but because she has made them hate her with her psycho ways. Rather, she went after the black girl only. Physically. It reminds me of how white gays are always trying to play the victim and point to blacks as being their main nemesis, worked really hard to take Isaiah Washington down and said "See? See? I told you those niggers are such homophobes," when plenty of other cultures hate gays just the same (eh-hemLatinoseh-hem). Enough is enough with making blacks the "example" all the time.